A Different Halloween
by Katherine - Child of Dreams
Summary: How would that fateful Halloween night have gone if James and Lily survived, Harry died, and everyone knew that Peter was the Secret Keeper for the Potters? WARNING! MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH! MIGHT PROVOKE TEARS, ESPECIALLY FROM PARENTS OF SMALL CHILDREN!
1. October 31, 1981

**A Different Halloween  
>By: Accalia Silvermoon<strong>

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter! If I did, Remus would have married Harry instead of Nymphadora Tonks!**

Chapter One: October 31, 1981

James and Lily Potter sat on the couch in the living room of their cottage in Godric's Hollow.  
>Their fifteen-month-old son, Harry, sat on his father's knee, giggling as the man made brightly colored bubbles come out of his wand and float around the toddler.<br>Suddenly, the one-year-old began crying as a loud bang sounded outside.

Handing Harry to Lily, who immediately began singing to him in an effort to calm the child down, James crossed over to the window and pulled back the curtains.  
>Walking swiftly up the path toward the house was a tall cloaked figure with glowing red eyes.<br>James's heart stopped. How the hell had Voldemort found them?  
>Then it came to him. Peter. Peter had betrayed them. He was going to kill that traitorous rat.<p>

Quickly moving away from the window, James turned toward his wife and son.  
>"Lily, take Harry and go!" he whispered quickly. "It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"<br>Lily nodded, her eyes filled with tears, and raced upstairs with Harry clutched tightly to her chest.

The door burst open and James ran into the hall.  
>Standing in the doorway was none other than Tom Marvolo Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort.<br>James instantly reached for his wand, but before his hand could make contact with his pocket, Voldemort had fired off a Stunning spell.

Stepping over the unconscious man, Voldemort started up the stairs.  
>Hearing the sound of heavy objects being moved in the second room on the right, he smirked and blasted open the door.<p>

Lily immediately started pleading for her child's life to be spared.  
>"Not Harry! Not Harry!" she begged, tears streaming down her face.<br>"Stand aside!" Voldemort snarled. "Stand aside, girl!"  
>Lily shook her head defiantly. "Not Harry!" she sobbed. "Please, I'll do anything!"<br>The Dark Lord sighed and raised his wand again, pointing it at the desperate mother. "Stupefy!" he said, almost lazily, and watched as the redhead fell to the floor, unconscious like her husband.

Voldemort walked over to the crib and stared down at the frightened baby sitting there, screaming at the top of his lungs with his arms around a stuffed stag, dog, and wolf.  
>"Time to die, baby Potter!" he said, raising his wand a third time. "Avada Kedavra!"<p>

A jet of green light shot from his wand and hit the toddler in the forehead.  
>Baby Harry's terrified wails were instantly silenced as he fell lifelessly onto his back, his beautiful emerald eyes closing forever.<p>

Voldemort sneered at the child who now lay dead in his crib.  
>Then, the Dark Lord crossed over to the open window and stuck his wand out, pointing it up at the clear night sky. "MORSMORDRE!" he shouted before disapparating.<p> 


	2. The Aftermath

Chapter Two: The Aftermath

James groaned as his eyes fluttered open.  
>What had happened?<br>Then he remembered. Voldemort had found them.

Suddenly, James jumped to his feet.  
>Lily and Harry! Where were they? Were they okay? Were they even alive?<br>He ran upstairs to Harry's room and heard a scream, followed by hysterical sobbing His heart in his throat, James slowly opened the door and came face to face with every parent's worst nightmare.

Lily sat on the floor in front of Harry's crib, rocking back and forth as she cried.  
>And in her arms...<p>

"No..." James whispered in disbelief.  
>Then, the tears started.<br>"No! No! No! No! NO!"

James raced over to where Lily was sobbing over a motionless Harry and collapsed by her side.  
>"NO! HARRY!" The toddler's skin was icy cold, his face white as snow, and the emerald eyes that James loved so much were closed.<p>

James wildly shook his small son, stubbornly refusing to believe that Harry, his baby, his little Prongslet could possibly be dead.  
>"HARRY, WAKE UP!" he pleaded desperately. "Come on, Prongslet. Please..."<br>But, Harry remained still, his little head lolling lifelessly from side to side.

James swallowed painfully and placed two shaking fingers on the child's neck, his last hope dawning.  
>Nothing. He felt nothing. There was no heartbeat. His baby was dead.<p>

James gently scooped his son's lifeless little body into his arms and just held him, lovingly kissing the child's icy forehead as he wept.  
>Peter had done this. Peter had betrayed them. Peter was the reason that his precious Harry would never wake up again.<br>The bastard would pay. 


	3. Sirius and Remus

Chapter Three: Sirius and Remus

Sirius and Remus raced toward the cottage, filled with desperation at the sight of the Dark Mark.  
>They had to find out if Prongs and Lily were still alive. If Harry was still alive.<br>Sirius was panicking. His friends, his little godson, they all could be dead.

Remus was just as bad. The werewolf didn't know what he'd do if they were dead.  
>Prongs and Lily were two of his three best friends. And Harry. Harry may legally be Sirius's godson, but he was Remus's cub.<br>And Remus couldn't lose his cub, he just couldn't. It would kill him.

Finally, reaching the house, they banged on the front door.  
>Finally, after what seemed to the two frantic men like an eternity, the door opened to reveal James Potter.<br>Sirius and Remus slumped against each other in pure relief.  
>Prongs was alive. Thank Merlin.<p>

But then, they realized that James was crying.  
>The two men hugged their friend, trying to comfort the distraught man.<br>But James just sobbed harder.

"Hey, Jamesie, what's wrong?" Sirius asked in concern.  
>James just shook his head hopelessly, still sobbing.<br>Finally, he began to talk, his voice choked with tears.

"Peter betrayed us. Voldemort came and stunned me and Lily. Then, he killed Harry. THAT BASTARD KILLED MY BABY!" James crumpled to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

Remus stumbled, his eyes filling with tears.  
>"No..." Sirius whispered in disbelief.<br>Then, the the two men raced into the house and dashed up the stairs, diving into Harry's room.

Instantly, they saw Lily sitting on the floor in front of Harry's crib, holding his limp form in her arms and crying.  
>In two seconds flat, both men were at the redhead's side, gently prying the lifeless child from her arms.<br>When they had finally freed Harry's body from his distraught mother's grasp, the two men sank to the floor and just held him, their tears splashing onto the toddler's snowy face. 


	4. The Funeral

Chapter Four: The Funeral

The funeral for fifteen-month-old Harry James Potter was held three days later.  
>It was a small, private ceremony with only James, Lily, Sirius, and Remus attending.<br>The one-year-old lay in a small white coffin that was lined with red velvet, his head resting on a little golden pillow, made of satin. He was dressed in a pair of sky-blue footie pajamas with fluffy white clouds and little golden snitches.  
>In his arms were the stuffed stag, dog, and wolf that he'd been holding when he was killed.<br>When Dumbledore was finished with his speech, it was time for them to say goodbye.

One by one, they went to Harry's casket and said goodbye to the one-year-old whose life had been stolen from him before it had even begun.  
>"Goodbye, Prongslet," James said through his tears. "I hope you're happy wherever you are now."<br>Lily only managed to get out a "Goodbye, sweetheart," before she collapsed to the ground in tears and had to be led away by James.  
>Then, Sirius was up. "Bye, kiddo," the animagus said, also crying. "I hope you have lots of fun where you are." Finally, it was Remus's turn. "Hey, Cub," the werewolf said quietly, tears streaming down his face. "It's Uncle Moony. I just want you to know that we all love you and miss you. Goodbye, Harry. We will always be with you."<p>

After the funeral, baby Harry was buried in the backyard of the Potter's house in Godric's Hollow.  
>His grave was visited every day by his parents, his godfather, and his Uncle Moony.<p>

THE END 


End file.
